Fog From the Mirror
by Moonraker One
Summary: A planet's destruction, a legendary warrior lands and grows up in Smallville, Kansas to become the greatest hero ever known. From meteor shower to the costume, this is life of Kakarot, the legendary Super Saiyan. CROSSOVER WITH DRAGONBALL
1. Chapter 1

Fog from the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

Author's note: Any who hate Dragonball, I'd suggest not reading this fanfic. I am a manga fan who happens to also enjoy American comics, so I had this idea bounce around in my head for quite a long time. It started from me thinking about all those Goku vs. Superman debates that exist and how idiotic they are, and sort of spiraled into something completely different. So here we go, many things will be different. There will be many elements of the Smallville version of the DC Universe combined with the Dragonverse.

CHAPTER ONE- It all started back when...

Just as it had been many times before, a peaceful wind brushed over the semi-idyllic podunk of Smallville, Kansas; however, its benevolent nature lent to a false sense of security that a ill-wind following after would shatter. None of such occurred to the loving couple of Jonathan and Martha Kent. A jingle of an entry bell sounded as they entered the flower shop currently staffed by Nell Potter. In a corner near a metal table painted white, a young girl in a princess costume waving a magic wand over a small cake caught the attention of Martha. The wife closed in for a better look as Jonathan gave their order for roses to the aunt of Lana Lang. "That is a beautiful tiara!" she complimented the girl. "Are you a princess?"

The girl beamed. "A _fairy_ princess," she corrected. "Do you want to make a wish?" She looked over.

Martha leaned down. "Why, I'd love to, Lana!" She closed her eyes a moment as the girl gently depressed the star-shaped tip of the wand against her forehead, concentrating on her wish. _God, please let me have a child. I know I can't have a child of my own, but please, let me have one,_ She thought. She opened her eyes. She'd been wanting the same thing ever since she found out she couldn't bear children on her own. It wouldn't hurt, she believed, to indulge herself in a little fantasy every now and then.

Having taken the roses, Jonathan reminded his wife that they had places to be and headed out the door. He started the truck as his wife got in the passenger door and set the roses down in between them. Slowly they headed out of the main part of town, not noticing the townspeople gathering around or the meteorites that they were gathering to see. More important issues would show themselves soon enough, and they had chores to concern themselves with. Nevertheless, the citizens all gathered to look up at the streaking balls of fire from the sky. Nell and Lana exited the store in time to witness something they would much later wish had never happened. Nell waved to the parents of the girl standing across the street, having just exited their car. The father looked up at a ball of flame. "What the...?" were his final words in this world.

An instant later, one of several meteorites smashed into the car, and the resulting firestorm that flared up vaporized both man and wife instantly. Nell responded at once to comfort Lana, while the rest of the immediate population descended into chaos, running in every which direction as a second meteorite demolished the water tower, another blasted several vehicles into the sky, and so forth. None of this caught the attention of the Kents, who by this point were outside the main town already. However, they did notice one specific ball of flame heading over their vehicle, followed by several others flying in many directions. One landed in a cornfield far to their right, creating a large shockwave and a mushroom cloud thirty feet high as it leveled several acres of crop. "What's happening, Jonathan?...!" Martha screeched, as an object blasted a trench several dozen feet long and at least five feet wide perpendicular to the road forty feet ahead of them. Jonathan immediately slammed on the brakes, bracing for impact as he realized the truck couldn't stop before entering the trench.

The vehicle disappeared into a huge cloud of dirt dust kicked up by the object. Both husband and wife were tossed against the interior of the truck, both briefly losing consciousness. A few vehicular sounds awoke them both, with Jonathan immediately making sure he felt all his limbs in place, and that none were broken. Satisfied with his being intact, he began fumbling for his seatbelt to free himself, and happened to look to his right, and that's when he saw it. "Martha," he uttered, his voice not allowing him anything louder than a whisper. He cleared his throat. "Martha!" He freed himself from the seatbelt and tumbled to the ground, crawling out of the cab. Gently, he undid his wife's belt and assisted her out of the wreckage.

"Oh my god, Jonathan! He's injured!" Martha ran up to the boy, carefully picking him up. His head looked painted a crimson red from blood oozing out of a nasty wound on his upper forehead, just below a relatively unruly mass of hair. On the sides of his head large clumps of hair pointing like spikes extended a few inches from the regular mass of black, and a large clump extended upwards with several smaller ones beside it. He seemed relatively unconscious, except for his small hand which grasped for air, occasionally grabbing Martha's arm. She'd never felt a squeeze quite so hard, and pulled away fast to avoid injury. "We'd better get him to a hospital." She noticed something. "Hey, there's a burn mark on his lower back! It looks like there was something here that was cut off!" She looked at Jonathan. "I think we'd best get moving."

"I know what you're thinking Martha," he reminded her, "and we can't keep him. But for now, let's get him to a hospital." He took one last look past his wife at the spherical pod with its door open. The seat inside stained with blood, telling him this wound hadn't occurred during the landing. He nimbly climbed out of the trench, helping his wife get out as well. They walked for at least twenty yards before they came across a truck with one of Jonathan's friends in it, dead at the wheel. After tending to the body of his friend, he backed up the truck and got out. "Martha, help me with this thing. We can't just leave it here." Setting the boy down in the cab, they headed over to the pod and rolled it to the back of the truck. "Good. It's lighter than it looks." They slowly lifted it into the back, setting bales of straw so it wouldn't roll away, and covering it with a tarp. It was then they headed off to the hospital in town, taking a back route. Martha gently comforted the boy, cradling him in her arms. Jonathan looked over at her, and swore he'd never seen someone look so happy as his wife at that moment. _Maybe it won't be so bad after all_, he thought. He hit the brakes as a man in a business suit frantically leaped into the road waving his arms. He jumped down after parking the truck. "Mister, what's wrong?"

The man seemed unable to form coherent phrases, but kept motioning to the cornfield. "He...He...I..."

Jonathan tried to force him. "Mister, what's wrong?" he demanded.

"My...son," the man uttered, finally making slight sense.

"Where is your son?" Jonathan didn't wait for a response. He grabbed the man's arm and led him into the corn, keeping an eye out for a child. He saw a huge circle of downed corn from one of the meteorites, and small clumps of reddish hair every so often. "Mister!" He saw a body curled up, barely conscious, below a pile of downed crop. The man came running, as he took his son into his arms.

"What...what happened to his hair?" he asked, as they ran back to the truck. Martha scooted over to the center as they got in and drove off at full speed towards town. He looked over at Martha, pushing down on a cloth, trying to stop the bleeding on a wound. He wondered how the child came to get such an injury, and how his hair looked so unusual. Still, he said nothing regarding it. His concerns were on the result as a whole. "What're you carrying back there? It's slowing us down." His son, with slight ash marks on his bald head, glanced over in his semi-conscious stupor at the boy with the head wound, clinging tightly to life as he breathed heavily. The boy would seem to get nervous, then reach out, and touch Martha, and would momentarily calm down.

They got to the hospital shortly thereafter, and began the process of waiting desperately for doctors to return to the waiting area with some news that was positive. Martha leaned against the window of the waiting room, her arms hanging by the sides of her chair. Jonathan kept trying to comfort her with his words. It was then that the businessman approached.

"I just got word that my son is doing fine. Thank you very much mister Kent. I appreciate this." He reached into his jacket pocket to get a business card. "If you ever need anything, just give me a call. I mean that, mister Kent." He handed the card over. The name on it was Lionel Luthor. He walked away to make some phone calls and deal with the issues at hand. Jonathan turned back to his wife. A few minutes later, the doctor approached. "Mister and Missus Kent?" The couple turned to the doctor. "I have news on the child you brought in."

Martha asked first. "Well, how is he doing?"

The doctor looked rather bewildered. "That's kind of difficult," he admitted. "Don't worry, physically, he's fine. We barely got a needle in him, because his skin is do darned tough, but I think we got the wound stitched up. The wound must have been from a nasty blow to the forehead. Yeah, his skin broke two needles; we had to get an extra strength kind in to sew the wound up with. He might be anemic for a few days because we can't give him a blood transfusion, but he should be fine."

"Wait," Jonathan retorted, "why can't you give him a blood transfusion."

The doctor raised his eyebrows. "That's one of the difficult parts. I checked his blood. It has the same hemoglobin we do, but his red blood cells are an unusual shape and he has a blood type not yet known to science. Anything I give him from stock might kill him, even O negative, the universal donor, because of the shape of his cells. Still, he didn't lose too much blood. He should be fine."

Martha inquired, "what's the other difficult part?"

"His mental state," the doctor revealed. "He doesn't know how old he is, but since he can speak coherently, I'd put him at least at four and a half. He doesn't remember who his parents are, or where they live, or even what they look like. He does, however, have one of the most vivid imaginations I think I've ever heard in my natural life." He laughed a moment. "He says his name is," he looked at his sheet to make sure he pronounced it correctly, "something like 'Kakarot,' and that he is an alien called a 'Saiyan' from a planet called 'Vegeta.' Naturally, he doesn't remember where he got this information from." He looked at the chart. "He will be fine, but since he doesn't have any identifying papers of any kind, and child services doesn't have missing child reports on anything that remotely looks like him, he'll have to go to the child services office in Metropolis tomorrow morning." He prepared to leave.

Martha chimed in with, "can we take him home?"

The doctor thought a moment. "I don't see child services having a problem with it, but before long we'll have to make sure he's got the proper birth certificate to do all the paperwork and what not." He smiled and walked away. "I'm sure we'll find out who he is sooner or later."

Martha and Jonathan exchanged looks. Jonathan looked at the card in his pocket, realizing it might get put to use far sooner than anticipated. The next morning, the child awoke and was discharged, and when the Kents took him home, Jonathan cashed in the favor, setting in motion a chain of events that would affect everything. Later on, the couple sat down with the child in their living room.

"So, Kakarot, that is your name?"

Kakarot nodded in response to Jonathan's question.

"Who sent you here?" Martha knelt down to ask.

The boy looked puzzled. "I don't know. I mean, I can't really remember." He looked around. "Do you have anything to eat?" He began eyeing a bowl of fruit on a table.

Jonathan had a more practical question. "You remember who you are and where your from, though. And you speak English well."

He got up and walked over to the bowl, took a banana from it, and bit it in half, peel and all. He then repeated the task with the other half, then devoured an orange in three bites. He looked over, remembering he was asked a question. "The computer taught me how to talk like this," he informed them. "And it also taught me who I am and where I'm from." He proceeded to devour every piece of fruit in the bowl, then moved into the kitchen and started eating potatoes uncooked from the plastic bag.

"You've got quite the appetite there," Martha noticed. "Let me fix you something." She headed into the kitchen.

"Who made the computer teach you?" Jonathan inquired.

"Dunno," he replied, muffled by the sound of chewing potatoes.

Martha began cooking a lunch. She looked down at the boy, who'd already eaten half of the potatoes. They'd give him the benefit of the doubt, for he probably hadn't eaten since he arrived on the planet. "You're pretty smart for a four year old."

He looked up. "I am?" He looked around. "Hey, what happened to the big round white thing with the talking computer?"

Jonathan looked up. "Hey, Martha? Why don't you take a break from that for a moment. Let's go see the pod out in the storm cellar." She set the stove on its lowest setting and headed out the door. It was a brief trek into the cellar, with Jonathan carrying the young Kakarot in his arms, handed him over to Martha, as he pulled the tarp off the object. The sphere opened wide as he pushed a button near the door. Kakarot looked at the instrument panel.

"Hey!" he cried. "It's the talking computer!"

At the sound of his voice, a hologram projected from the panel. It looked like a man, roughly five foot seven inches tall, wearing a greenish type of body armor and a device attached to his ear with an eyepiece. He had the exact same hairstyle as the boy. "If you're hearing this, Kakarot, it means you've landed," the man's image spoke. "I may be dead by this point, so this will probably be my last message to you. I am Bardock, your true father. You are a member of the Saiyan race, which a tyrant named Freeza killed so that he could not be threatened. He sent his men to hunt you down as you are the legendary Super Saiyan. They managed to injure you but I know you'll pull through." Tears filled the hologram's eyes. "To those who might have found Kakarot, please treat him with kindness and respect, as I never got a chance to hold you in my arms for very long. Being the legendary Super Saiyan, his destiny will lead him to be the greatest warrior ever to live, just as long as you guide him well. Remember my son, use your power to protect the innocent from harm. Goodbye, my son." He might not have understood it much then, but young Kakarot would hear the message many more times over his life.

Kakarot looked in awe as the hologram disappeared. He looked around, and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, mister, what's that?"

Jonathan picked up the golden orb off the counter. "Oh this? I don't know what to make of it. I found it in the back fields some years ago, and never figured out what it was." It was perfectly spherical, about the size of a baseball, and it had four stars on the front of it. It too, would play a vital role in the events to come.

"Mister Kent!" a familiar voice came from above. Quickly, he covered the orb and put the sphere back where it was, and the Kents headed upstairs, out of the cellar. Lionel presented them with a form. "I've got the details together for a fake birth certificate, and I'll be working on the adoption after that. However, we're going to have to have a phony birth name to give to him in order to make this process work. Did you have one in mind?"

Jonathan looked over at Martha. "I don't have the faintest idea. Martha? Any ideas?"

Martha thought a few moments. _Kakarot with no last name isn't the best idea_, she mulled. _Wait, I've got an idea!_ She looked at the spot on Kakarot's lower back where it looked like an appendage was lost. _That looks like the remnants of a tail...why not!_ "Mister Luthor? I remember back in college I was studying eastern mythology as an elective, so, how about 'Son Goku'?" Jonathan looked at her funny.

"Like the story of the monkey king in _Journey to the West_," he noticed. "It certainly invokes images of power and glory. First name Goku, last name Son." He wrote it down. "Ok, that'll be his birth name. Any name changes from the birth?"

"I was thinking 'Clark Kent,' but that sounds so ordinary compared to what we've got here, so why not just leave it as the birth name?"

"Ok. I'll make sure it gets completed," Luthor replied, getting ready to leave. "Oh, and I'll be back to discuss some other issues when I'm done." He made his exit.

"Your new name is Goku," Jonathan told Kakarot. "Is that ok with you?"

"Sounds ok," he shot back. He looked up at Martha. "Are you still fixing something to eat?"

They both laughed. "Yeah, Goku, it'll be ready soon enough."

Martha thanked the heavens for her gift. The future would hold huge events that would shake the very foundations of reality, but for now, she could enjoy the young child.


	2. Chapter 2

Fog from the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

CHAPTER TWO – Moving towards the horizon...

The sun rose over Kansas on a fine morning. A spiky-haired teenager put the finishing touch on his morning chores, including chopping wood with his bare hands. While Son Goku threw a huge log into the air, then jumped up to its level, Martha and Jonathan Kent plopped his backpack onto the work bench. Short, quick martial arts chops segmented the wood very cleanly into small enough chunks to burn come winter. He wiped his brow and gathered them up into the neatest of stacks. Clapping from behind him told of the time. "Nice job, Goku," Jonathan complimented. "You've never looked at your chores as anything but training."

He laughed as he replaced his weighted clothing. "You have to keep your body strong," he reminded. "Besides. The majority of strength is gained from repetition, not from exertion." He took a drink of his tea. "You guys should take some training advice from my ship's computer. It might help you out, dad."

Jonathan looked at him. "You can't be serious, Goku. That would probably wear me out."

Martha checked her watch. "You've got about five minutes. Do you think you can make it?"

Goku raised an eyebrow. "I'll either be late or I'll set a new record." He put on his backpack. He gave a wave to them. "See you later." With that said, he became a blur as the countryside went by at tremendous speeds. With his weighted clothes on, he found he couldn't reach quite the speed he wanted. Still, never would he quit until he'd achieved something. Pumping ki to his legs, he pushed himself even farther. The wind bent around his aura as he cut across the terrain. The school came into focus as the familiar tree line rapidly came up to him. As he arrived in the parking lot he slowed his race to a jog, and managed to catch up to two friends who always managed to find something he did amazing. "Two minutes," he whispered to himself, checking his watch. He'd managed to set a new speed record for running from the farm to the high school.

"Goku? How the heck...? Did your parents give you a ride?" Pete Ross never quite understood how his spiky-haired friend could repeatedly miss the bus yet always arrive on time. He tucked his books under his arms as he adjusted his backpack.

"No," he admitted. "I ran the whole way."

Pete laughed. "Ha ha. Very funny. Now why don't we all get ready for class. You've always been a kidder, you know that?"

Chloe looked over at the two of them. "Now, if I recall correctly, didn't I read that Goku here took second in a major martial arts competition over in Japan? Maybe it isn't so ridiculous. I mean, I have heard of some amazing martial artists." She glanced up at Goku. He certainly had the build for fighting, but she just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it. No, probably Pete had the correct idea.

"I don't know, Chloe," Pete predictably retorted. "Can you picture our friend Goku here as a Bruce Lee?"

"Aw, come on guys! Give me more credit than that!" Goku lifted his pack off his shoulders, and took out the books for first period. He never gave too much thought to how people viewed his physical aspect, but the messages from Bardock had warned him against showing off too much power in the general public, so he at least maintained a basic degree of self-control. Control had been one of the first things drilled into him by the computer simulation.

Chloe smiled a bit. "I'm sure he'd hold his own in a fight. He's not exactly a string bean, Pete. He's got more muscle than a lot of the football team." She elbowed Goku; it didn't seem to faze him. "If there was just something about that hair." She ran her fingers through his spiky mass of hair, and it quickly returned to its normal position.

"I'm heading to class. See you later, guys!" He headed off. As an afterthought, he glanced at Lana Lang as the doorway passed behind him. She returned his look and her boyfriend, Whitney, seemed mildly upset, but only when she didn't look at him. Both Chloe and Pete looked at each other, then Pete pocketed ten dollars from his friend.

"I swear," Chloe admitted, "I wonder if Goku is ever going to discover girls. He hasn't made any attempt at anyone in all the years I've known him."

Pete patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, Chloe. Some guys go early, some go late. He just hasn't gone yet. But when he does, I'm sure we'll all know about it." He laughed a moment. "I'm sure it'd only take a few more comments about his physique." She elbowed him. "What?" he argued. "You were about as subtle as an explosion." He separated from her and headed to his own class. She had the right idea about Goku, though, he realized. Their friend hadn't shown interest in females at all. He doubted very much that he was gay, but still, such things brought unwanted discussion in public high school.

A small restaurant in the main part of town saw a bald teenager in a rather expensive suit sipping at a cup of coffee while he waited. One very important person he scheduled to meet. His father, Lionel Luthor, had his plans for various immoral deeds, so to fight fire with fire would be par for the course. The figure, a blue-haired woman in very un-exquisite casual clothes entered and scanned the room, eventually discovering him. "Mister Luthor," she introduced, sitting down. "Are you sure you're safe here from prying eyes?"

He nodded. "Miss Briefs, believe me, I think I know where my father will and won't go." He pushed a manila envelope in front of her. "He dumped me here so he'd not have to bother with me. It's why I'm agreeing to work with you."

She silenced her phone. "Lex," she said, breaking formalities. "Capsule corporation needs to have a foothold in the American market. Your company is led by a madman who is responsible for some of the lowest stock results in a long time, and your company can't really compete on the scale it once did. You made the right decision." She opened the envelope and looked at the documents. "It looks like you've got everything in place here."

"Bulma," he replied, "don't worry. I want my father gone as much as you do." He took a sip of coffee. "Now, tell me something. Did you come here all the way from Japan just to get documents from me?"

She shook her head. "No, Goku is a friend of mine I made while at the tournament. I just wanted to visit him. Don't let your father know I talked to you, Lex. I'll see you later." She gave him a symbolic salute. She got on a rather innovative looking motorcycle and sped off. She'd been to Goku's house—the Kent farm—before, but couldn't imagine how such a great warrior could live at such an ordinary abode. Still, perhaps that symbolized him perfectly.

Taking the long way home from school enabled Goku to watch the scenery a bit. He had finished his day of schooling and wanted to take his mind off by appreciating nature. The academia never came easy to him; he would rather be fighting. Every school day's mental workout put him through stress. He didn't let it get to him, though, as the soft sound of birds chirping and the river below the bridge flowing endlessly calmed his state of mind. He heard a truck drive by and also a sound of metal hitting pavement. He looked over at the source: a roll of metal wire had fallen off the vehicle. _Someone could be hurt by this_, he knew, and decided to deal with the problem preemptively. Quicker than a lightning strike, he dashed over to the wire, effortlessly scooped it into his right shoulder, then ran at inhuman speeds towards the truck it had fallen off of. It hadn't gotten far away from him, so no one actually saw a blur leap into the back of a truck, place a large spool of barbed wire, tie it down, and leap off, all in the blink of an eye.

A few moments after he bounded off the truck, a silver Porsche drove by, slowing to a stop. "Goku?" Lex Luthor asked. "A friend of yours named Bulma stopped by me earlier, she's headed to the farm. You're quite a ways away from home. Do you need a ride?"

Goku perked up at the sound of a familiar friend, especially one who'd come such a long way. "No, I'll be fine," he beamed. "I think I can make it pretty quick." He thought of the shortest line from where he stood to the Kent farm. If Bulma had come to see him, perhaps she had news on the Dragonballs. The last time he'd gone over to the tournament, she'd had him watch after her Dragon Radar, which told the locations of the balls.

"On foot?" Lex inquired. He knew his friend had exceptional talents, but he doubted the teenager could go several miles in a few seconds. "Okay then. I've learned never to try and talk you out of something. Give my regards to your family." He slowly took off.

Goku stepped backwards several yards until no one could see him behind the bushes. Once obscured, he vanished from sight. The greatest eyes in the world might not be able to see him. Within one minute, he stood at the entrance to the Kent farm, a place he'd called home for more than a decade and a half. A motorcycle with the all too familiar C on the side told him a dear friend of his had truly shown up like Lex had said. The blue-haired young woman hugged the fighter as the collective duo walked up to the main house. "It's good to see you, Bulma! It's been what, a year now?"

Bulma patted him on the shoulder. "I think, yeah," she agreed. "That money you won must have really come in handy. I can see a lot of new equipment on this farm." She sat down at the dinner table. "Are you keeping good care of the Dragon Radar?" She watched as Goku produced the circular radar device.

"It's in good shape, Bulma," he admitted. "So, how are the guys doing?"

Martha Kent put a pot to boil. "Bulma, dear, do you want some coffee?" She always enjoyed how Goku would perk up whenever he had friends over. Especially ones he hadn't seen in a while.

"Yamcha and Krillin are done studying under Master Roshi, while Tien Shinhan and Chaozu are doing their own thing. Everyone's training on their own since you defeated Piccolo." She got a phone call, but decided it wasn't important and shut off her cell. "I heard that Piccolo created an offspring in the last moments of his life." The mood in the room became rather dim at those words. "Is that true? Are we going to have to deal with him again?"

Goku lowered his head with a serious look on his face. Jonathan Kent, who otherwise wanted to go outside to finish some work, had to hear what came next. "Yes, it's true," he caved. He quickly spoke to nullify their concerns. "I learned of it when the ship's computer taught me how to sense energy and more ways of training than just physically training. He's getting more powerful as he trains, but don't worry. This time, I'm training as hard as I can when I'm not in school, and I'll defeat him for good." He looked grim simply because it was the emotion the situation called for. In truth, he felt rather excited to get to fight such a challenging opponent again. Piccolo had been quite a good fight. He was glad he killed him, because the demon king had killed his friend Krillin. Still, he couldn't resist a challenge.

"Goku," Jonathan interrupted, "we don't know when he'll try to strike again! Besides, shouldn't your concern be trying to figure out how to become a Super Saiyan?"

"That's just it," Goku reminded his adoptive father. "Bardock said his psychic predictions told I'd be the legendary Super Saiyan, but I haven't gotten it yet. Don't worry about it. I know Piccolo wants to prove himself as a warrior when he defeats me, so he'll show up in three years time at the next Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament. Besides, by that time, I will have gained enough power through training to overcome him." The ship's computer, granted the full knowledge of Bardock and programmed to think like him, had done as good a job of training him as the real deal would have done. Beyond that, Goku trusted his ability to judge how much training would be required. "Don't you guys think I can do it?"

"It's just that, Piccolo broke three of your limbs and almost killed you last time," Martha reminded. "We don't want his son to finish the job." She couldn't help but worry about her son; he never seemed to be taking things as seriously as he should. His calmness, she believed, was a strength and a weakness simultaneously. Still, she struggled with wanting to just trust him.

Goku smiled. One of his smiles could melt the iciest of moods. "Mom, trust me. I know what I'm doing. I think I can judge my own ability." Martha set down a plate of food, and Goku finished it in record time. She laughed as he asked for another, and then another after. He enjoyed eating. To him, the simple pleasures of life were worth more than all the gold and glory in the universe. Perhaps that made him less than an ideal Saiyan, but he didn't care of such.

"I can't imagine how you fit all that down there, Goku," she said. "Bulma, are you hungry?"

"Ha ha, I'll just take a small plate," the business woman replied. She produced her pack, which she set on the table. "Oh, before I forget, I managed to get three more of the Dragonballs. I want you to keep them. With four of them in your possession, I'm sure we'll avoid the wrong type of people getting their hands on them." She ate her food much slower than Goku, who shoveled it down hastily.

On the other side of Smallville, a grand castle stood a moderate distance from a fertilizer plant. In an office a bald young businessman sat in a leather chair. His intercom beeped, and a secretary reminded him of a visitor he was very eagerly expecting. "Come in, sir," Lex invited. A slightly hunched old man with a long beard and a turtle shell on his back stepped in. "Master Roshi, I've been eagerly expecting you." He motioned for a chair. "I suppose you know why I summoned you."

The martial arts master didn't hesitate. "I suppose you seek my training," he presumed. He sat down. "I can start you off from scratch, then work you up to be at least a decent warrior, provided you have the drive." He furrowed his eyebrows under his shades. "But I heard you also interviewed my former rival, the Crane Hermit. May I ask why you ultimately chose me? Not that you made a bad decision. Quite the contrary, in fact." He politely folded his arms on his lap.

Lex shut off the intercom, then looked around a moment. "I got a feeling from your counterpart that he might be willing to accept a bribe from my father. You have a reputation of being honorable, if not a bit perverted."

Roshi straightened his gaze. "That's what this is about, isn't it."

Lex grinned. "Exactly. I can just feel that you're more honorable than Master Shen. Once my father learns of you training me, he'll try to throw money your way to stir you away from me."

"I'm not going to take a bribe from your father, Lex, you can be sure. But, why do you seek martial arts training, and why from me?"

Lex pressed a few buttons on his computer, then spun it around to face Roshi. "In the first tournament my friend Goku appeared in, you entered as Jackie Chun, and beat him. The second time, you almost defeated Tien Shinhan, a student of Master Shen's. If you're this good, I seek only to train with the best." He threw a folder in front of Roshi. "And this is also the reason."

Roshi examined the folder, and his eyes grew wide to the point that his shades fell off. He quickly readjusted them. "Your father, is hiring General Tao as his personal trainer and bodyguard?" He remembered hearing of Goku defeating Tao, but according to the photos, the General spent quite a bit of money to restore himself as a cyborg. This meant he'd be quite a bit stronger than before. Lex was right to hire him. "Well, that certainly changes things. I'll gladly train you. In fact, I think I'll stick around as a bodyguard. I'd hate to see you meet Tao in a dark alley."

Lex grinned again. "I wouldn't put it past my father. Just do me one favor, don't tell Goku, ok?"

Roshi couldn't help but feel he was playing with fire, but couldn't place the feeling.

As Bulma packed up her motorcycle to head out, she looked to Goku standing on the porch. "Oh, and I saw Roshi get off the flight. You might find him in town. See you later, Goku!"

"See you!" Goku waved as her cycle sped away. "I think I'll finish the last bit of chores I've got then get back to training."

"I never thought Smallville would be so popular," Jonathan joked.

"Bulma was right, I can sense Roshi's energy signature. Maybe I'll pay him a visit tomorrow."

"Be careful, dear," Martha warned.

Goku kissed her on the cheek. "I will, mom."


	3. Chapter 3

Fog from the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

CHAPTER THREE – Breaking through the shining clouds

The inside of the barn on the Kent farm had seen its share of use. Multiple generations of farmers and their families had utilized the storage for various means. A young man named Goku currently stood in the middle. A thick cloth blindfold wrapped around his eyes, he stood completely silent, his mind empty of any thoughts. A truly serene being, he breathed quietly and in specific patterns. Strings hanging from the rafters held pieces of straw; the knots had been tied specifically to release their load after a certain length of time, and the young man himself had no clue when they would release. He waited, patiently, for the training exercise to begin.

Snap. Any normal person would not have heard the virtually silent resounding of the first string releasing, but to Goku, that almost nonexistent noise might as well have been a warning siren. Feeling the ever-so-slight vibrations in the air as the tiny pieces of straw descended to the floor, he felt the exact moment they would be at his level, and like a beam of light, dashed forward and delivered a forward slash with his hand through the space occupied by the straw, passing through it with both tremendous power and ballerina grace. Not wasting a single motion, he assumed a waiting stance the instant he finished his attack. Within a few seconds, another string let its load drop with another tell-tale sound. He moved quickly once again, and struck the object mid-air with equal power and grace. He took off his blindfold once he'd done this with all twenty pieces of straw.

"You training, Goku?" Martha uttered, entering the barn. "From the window, it just looked like you were attacking the air really fast." She walked out to him with a plate of several of his favorite breakfast items. "So, what were you doing?"

He smiled as he shoveled the first waffle down quickly. "I was training my other senses," he explained. "Battle sometimes requires that you know where your enemy is, without being able to see him. Some of your old packaging twine and some straw served as my 'invisible enemies.'" He shoveled down another waffle. "Man, Kami was right. I can't believe I beat Piccolo without knowing how to sense aura, or being that good at feeling the air around me."

"Life's a learning experience, Goku," she told. "We're always being taught things as we move along." She worried about him. She knew his Saiyan blood meant he'd always crave combat, but the fear lingered that he might come across a foe he can't beat. Still, she trusted him above all else.

"You're right about that," he admitted. "And I can't wait to see what comes at the next tournament." He shoveled down some more food. "Tien and Yamcha are probably much stronger by now." He finished the plate. "I'll be heading to school now." Eagerly, he prepared to take off at incredible speed. However, his mother stopped him with a beckon.

"Goku, don't you think you're taking things a little too lightly?" She pressed. "Please. I know you've been training really hard, but I can't help but worry." He patted her shoulder, comforting her slightly. And that smile, he gave, did the trick.

"Mom, please understand. I can't help but think about this. I defeated Piccolo, and he's not going to let that slide." He tightened the energy in his legs, preparing to leave. "I've got two and a half years to go still. I'm positive I'll have enough training by then."

"Leave him be, Martha," Jonathan yelled from the barn entrance. "We've been over this one."

"I can't help but think about it, Jonathan."

Her husband wrapped his arms around her. "Martha, you need to remember that he won second place at the World's Martial Arts Tournament. He defeated a guy who wanted to take over the world. He's going to be something more than either of us can imagine. If we hold him back, who's going to support him?"

She rested her head on his chest. "Yeah, I know. I just can't help remembering the fragile boy I held in my arms that day."

Goku was off at a high speed even as they were talking. He found his parents' concern unnecessary. Yes, he had broken three limbs against Piccolo. But did they forget that a single senzu and he was back at full power? He always carefully thought out how the enemies came and went, and even when he overextended himself, he always came out on top. Roshi's teachings served him well. If anything, he doubted they'd truly grasped the depth of what he was taught by the aging master.

The school came quickly at the speed he ran. Almost like clockwork, he blended in seemingly out of nowhere. His friends displayed the usual confusion, and he engaged them in the idle chitchat before heading off on his own. Lana Lang waited for her boyfriend Whitney, and Goku passed by her and gave a smile before heading to his locker. She smiled at him as he moved past her. Three numbers—three turns—and his locker opened for him to ensure his papers and notes were in order. Satisfied, the locker shut behind him. At once, instinct kicked in as he ducked and moved backwards, just as a fist struck the spot where his head had just been. He stood up, and faced his foe.

"Whitney," he noticed. "What's with the attack?"

He turned and took up a fist fighting stance. "I'm tired of you eying my girlfriend, Goku."

"If your girlfriend wasn't to be looked at, she'd be invisible," Goku replied. This only angered the jock.

"Enough of your crap!" He swung again. Goku didn't even have to put serious effort into ducking it. As his foe turned and began walking away, this angered Whitney even further. He dashed ahead, taking attacks aimed at his foe's head. To his surprise, the wild-haired teen didn't even have to look; he somehow knew where each punch was going and dodged it well in advance. His anger boiled as he flung his right fist at full strength at the source of his anger. His left fist, however, wasn't accounted for as it flew backwards and came dangerously close to a random girl walking down the hallway. This managed to attract attention from the wild-haired warrior.

Faster than anyone—even those nearby—could see, he spun around, channeled a small amount of his aura into his left fingertip, and struck Whitney's forehead with just enough force to knock him silly for a moment. Like a lightning bolt, it ended, with him turning to face his path and walking off, just as quickly as it had begun. Nobody saw his attack. It looked to them as if no action had been taken on his part at all. The jock collapsed forward, his wild fist not striking its accidental target.

"Whitney, you ok?" a football teammate asked him. "You just fell flat for a moment."

Two more arrived and assisted him to his feet. "What...happened?" he asked. "I didn't see a thing."

"He didn't hit you, you just fell," one assured.

"Yeah," another confirmed, falsely. "Must've tripped and hit yourself. Not like that punk hair could actually hurt you, Whitney."

"Yeah..." he agreed, slightly confused. "He...couldn't possibly hurt me." They each headed to class.

It was a slightly different story halfway across town.

Lex Luthor wore a specially made suit, that weighed about forty pounds, made by Roshi. At first, he disputed the effectiveness of the training clothes, especially business suits weighed down, but he realized the value. The effects on his body took their toll, but the old master assured him he'd survive, and he'd be stronger than before. He had to replace some of his chairs and tables to accommodate his heavy clothes. Roshi himself currently sat at a table, feasting on some of the best Asian cuisine available.

"Lex," Roshi reminded, "you're getting used to the weighted training clothes, I see. Goku went through the same trial, you know."

Lex went through his standard exercise routine, pushing himself. "If he can do it, so can I," he explained. "I don't give up until I get my money's worth, you could say."

Just then, the devil himself walked in. And he had his hired demon with him. "Lex, I have to admit, I think consorting with the enemy isn't going to win you any favors with me." He got angry. "What happened to loyalty?" Tao held his hands behind his back as he walked with the familiar grin on his face. At any given moment, he would spring into attack mode. Roshi watched him like a hawk, returning the shit-eating grins with an angry stare.

"What're you talking about?" Lex replied, putting on his best fake concern. "What sort of paranoid delusion are you here to accuse me of today?"

He slammed down a file folder. "The Briefs family—Capsule Corporation—is expressing interest in this company. That means hostile take over. And they wouldn't BE expressing interest if YOU hadn't given them info!"

"Where's your proof to back up this ridiculous claim?" Lex demanded, putting on the fake anger.

It seemed to be working, as Lionel backed down slightly, but only for a moment. "I don't have proof, son. But if I do, you can bet your ass will be on the line." Tao gave a smirk. The son knew exactly what it meant. Lionel turned around to give an idle threat. "Keep up with the training, son. It looks to be paying off."

Once the two were long gone, Roshi turned to Lex. "I can't believe you call him a father."

"I don't know if I'd call him anything at all, if I had the choice," Lex admitted.

Back on the other side of town, Goku was just leaving the school for the day, having been warned to stay out of fights, and soon would take off. However, before he could, a familiar voice called out to him. "Goku? Hey! Goku! Over here!"

Chloe and Pete looked over. "Who's the midget?"

Goku smiled widely. "Krillin! You came to meet me!"

The diminutive monk dashed over. "You really shot up in the last year, you know that? And I'm not talking about skill!"

Goku introduced them. "Chloe, Pete, this is Krillin. We trained together for the Martial Arts Tournament." He turned back to his friend. "What brings you to America?"

He patted Goku's leg. "Come on, Goku. You know I had to see where you lived."

Goku waved to his friends. "I'll catch up with you guys!" They both waved, with Chloe making a mental note to check out Krillin. The two friends made their way into the main part of town. They stopped by one of the fast food restaurants for a quick bite. In the taller warrior's case, it was a deep, quick bite, as he ate more than his share. "Krillin, you broke training just to visit me?"

Krillin raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Goku. I can't really train at my fullest _without_ you. You're just that good." He laughed. "I'd say Tien won't win by you hitting a van this year."

"Krillin," Goku whispered, "let me warn you. You have to promise not to make a panic. Piccolo's son will be at the next tournament."

Krillin almost jumped from his seat, but stifled his action. "Piccolo?...!" he shouted in a whisper. "How are you going to handle this one?"

Goku shook his head. "Now you're sounding like my mother. I'll take care of him when the time comes. You all need to trust me."

"I'd trust you with my life, Goku," Krillin admitted, "but you HAVE to beat him this time."

Goku grabbed his shoulder, leading him out of the shop. "Come on, Krillin. Let's get to that training. I know a spot out in the woods where we can spar without damaging anyone's property."

Somewhere in the suburbs of Smallville, Chloe Sullivan sat at a computer in her room doing a search of the history of Goku's vertically challenged friend. What she turned up impressed her greatly. Trained briefly at the Orin Temple, she mentally read. Trained with Goku under Master Roshi, the former champion of the World's Marital Arts Tournament. The next part impressed her more. Commentary on matches indicate both he and Goku expressed physical capabilities far beyond that of any other competitor. _Wow_, she thought. _These two were stronger and faster than any other of the world's greatest martial artists?...! How can that be?_ She read on.

A dozen miles from her house, two warriors unleashed their powers on each other. Only in fists and feet (no energy attacks), but powerful nonetheless. Any would-be spectators wouldn't be able to watch with their eyes, at the speeds the two warriors moved. Goku threw a forward strike which Krillin pushed aside and went for a sweep kick which got jumped over. It was responded to with a midair twist kick that got ducked. Back and forth for minutes on end.

"You've gotten stronger, Goku," Krillin complimented.

"I can say the same for you, Krillin." Goku and his friend then disappeared again, attacking each other with blows that echoed for miles around. They jumped hundreds of feet above the ground as they traded blows in the air. Even as hard as it was to dodge in flight, they still managed to hit each other more than a few times.

After almost an hour, the two were panting as they began heading back to the main road. "I'm going to be in town for a few more weeks," Krillin said, "so let's do that again tomorrow."

"Race me back to the farm?" Goku challenged.

Krillin grinned. "You're on!" The two became blurs as they headed off.


	4. Chapter 4

Fog From the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

CHAPTER FOUR – Fire and Water

Krillin finished the last of his plate of pancakes and eggs as Goku worked on the last bit of his twentieth. Neither him nor the Kents had any surprise, as they each knew the punk-haired warrior very well. Martha took the empty plate and put it into the water. "Goku, you've got to get ready for school," she gently reminded. "You and Krillin can catch up later, ok?" The bald monk handed the backpack over.

"I guess you have to train your mind as well as your body," he joked. "I mean, what good is defeating Piccolo if you won't be able to do anything afterward?" His comment drew a mild stare from Jonathan.

"You have no idea how many times we've had to remind him that his homework had to be done," the farmer shot back. "You should've seen him in grade school." He looked over at his adoptive son. "Goku, I know you might be the greatest fighter in the world one day, but can't you at least put your studies a little higher on your list?"

"Yeesh," he argued, laughing. "Talk about your relentless assaults." He waved to his friend as he took off. "Krillin, make sure you meet me out in the barn after three thirty, so we can get some more training in!" He took off at lightning speed.

"I think I'll take a look around this city for a bit, ok?" He stood up and headed for the main road of Smallville. They waved him goodbye.

Martha glanced over at Jonathan while she washed the dishes. "At least our son won't be fighting Piccolo alone." In truth, she felt slightly at ease knowing there were honest warriors like the monk willing to stand alongside Goku. She'd heard about them from him numerous times, but to see that he'd journey all the way to America just to visit him meant much to her.

Jonathan turned to another page in the newspaper. "The biggest help a man can get sometimes, is his friends. Remember the time your cousin helped with the housework when you had that wrist injury? It's the same type of thing." He thought about his words briefly. "But then again, I can't imagine what kind of will it must take to be willing to die for your fellow man." He himself had never had to sacrifice that much. Yet, he hoped that, if the situation arrived, he would have the same strength.

Goku managed to come to a stop behind the large trees near the school that served as his usual cover. Gently moving through a large group of students with the swiftness of a fox, he covered his entrance as he walked lockstep with his friends. Once more, Pete and Chloe looked at him with the familiar glance of confused shock. Every day he arrived on time, yet never took the bus. "It seems the process never ends," Chloe stated. "I do have a question, though, Goku. You said you run the whole way from home, and me and Pete never would have believed you, if we hadn't seen the youtube video of the tournament you were in. What was it, again? The 'Budokai?'"

"It's Japanese for, 'Strongest Under the Heavens tournament,'" Goku answered.

She shook her head. "I know what it means. We saw you and this Tien Shinhan guy moving faster than the cameras could effectively pick up. Then, you were shooting light at each other. Either you're some kind of super man, or this is some really good hoax. Can you tell me which it is?"

"Some kind of 'Superman?'" Goku laughed. "That sounds like a comic book, Chloe. You don't believe in that stuff, do you?"

She folded her arms. "No, but I know what I saw. You're going to explain, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you two meet me outside right after lunch, and I'll explain it." _Darn it, I should've known the Budokai would show up on the internet_, he thought. "You have to promise me, Chloe, that you won't publish this."

She chuckled at him. "Goku, this has to be a huge story, a martial arts genius in this little corner of the world!"

He donned a stern look. "Chloe, I mean it. You'll ruin my family's privacy."

Her humor went away. _Shit,_ she thought, he's right. _I don't want to kill our friendship. And he'd probably respect me in a similar way._ "You're right, Goku."

"Man, this is some kind of movie-stuff, you know that?" Pete put in his two cents with. "Next, we'll be finding out that you're an alien or something. That you get super strong when the sun shines on you or something."

"No, if you think about it, having to get your power from the sun would be a major drag. What if the enemy fought you in the dark?" He heard the bell ring. "Well, see you soon!"

Pete glared at Chloe. "What?" she replied. "You know you're as interested as I am."

"Yeah," Pete answered, "and I believe him. You act like this is all a bunch of cartoon stuff."

She took serious offense to his words. "Pete, I care for our friend as much as you do, it's just that common sense tells us this isn't possible, so there must be some way to explain this in a feasible manner."

He raised an eyebrow as he headed off to class. "Since when has 'feasible' been used to describe our friend Goku?"

She moved in a separate direction for her class, and it weighed on her mind exactly how quickly the normally cheerful Goku's mood changed when his family's privacy found a threat in her reporting. It put into perspective very quickly just how dedicated to his loved ones he was, to threaten a friend out of defense. His devotion impressed her as much as it scared her. It served only to enhance her feelings for him. If such haste to act in protective service could eventually come over her like a security blanket, she believed, she wouldn't need anything else. Yet, she dared not voice such thoughts; his child-like naiveté might not understand, or worse, not accept.

Several miles away, in a private room of the Luthor mansion, Roshi sat in a chair as he watched the young heir to Luthorcorp perform one arm pushups in weighted clothing. The aging master found the man's dedication impressive. It didn't seem as driven as Goku's—obviously—but something seemed to be forcing him to push himself past his limits repeatedly. He believed it had to do with the man's father, Lionel, but it probably had more to do than that. He saw a sense of urgency in his mind, as though there were a time limit on when he could achieve physical greatness. He didn't quite understand it.

"You're going to burn yourself out, Lex!" Roshi warned. "I know you're trying to make yourself as developed as you can, but if you keep pushing yourself, you'll get injured." He hoped his words would ring true to the young man's mind.

"I thought Goku worked much harder than this," Lex argued, questioning the situation.

"Goku was significantly more along than you are, so he could push himself this hard without risk. You need to start out slower and work your way up."

Lex shook his head, as he continued his repetitions. "Starting out slow was never the Luthor way. Besides, my father wouldn't start out slow." He just knew his father would be pushing himself under the tutelage of the assassin. There could only be a few motivations for such an action, and none of them particularly made him feel any better. He wouldn't get caught in a trap because he didn't prepare well enough.

"Well, just try not to injure yourself. You'll undo a great deal of progress." He stood up. "I have to use the bathroom." As he walked down the hall, ignoring the decorations, he found himself questioning his purpose. He knew Lex genuinely took his teachings to heart, but at the same time, he'd only been chosen because Tao received a check from Lionel. He'd volunteered to help Lex in exchange for money, yet he couldn't shake the feeling he had caught himself up in a war of oneupmanship between two powerful figures.

The familiar grassy turf of the sports field saw two very curious individuals sneaking away from study during the brief interlude between classes. Chloe and Pete wanted very desperately to learn everything their friend Goku had to offer. He looked rather apprehensive, as he knew the ears that would hear his words also belonged to a mouth that spoke somewhat freely at times. He used his superior senses to ensure that the surroundings didn't have ears of their own. Only once he had his mental guarantee of no intrusion did he regard his friends up front. He sat down Indian style, cupping his hands to have his fingers touching. "Pay close attention, because I really don't want to display this more than once," he warned. "If anyone sees this, I'm going to catch hell."

"Don't worry, Goku," Pete replied, quickly glancing at Chloe for effect. "We're not going to tell anyone."

She frowned at him. "Don't get on my case, Pete, I think I get the hint." She then turned her full attention to Goku. So many questions burned in her mind. Was he an alien? Why did certain people have these powers, and not others? "I have a question, first, Goku. Where do your powers come from?"

"Are either of you familiar with the idea of chi?" Pete shook his head. Chloe looked confused, indicating she had a vague conception of it. "Let me explain. Chi is the energy generated by the tissue of living beings. Anything that is alive has Chi. Some beings can train hard, and actually develop their physical fitness to the point where their chi is much greater than normal humans. Chi is the essence of life; if you have more of it than your fellow man, it is as if you have more life than they do. Your muscles are capable of strength far beyond the normal tissue because the greater chi makes them like greater tissues. Your body becomes durable to the point of nigh invulnerability because the energy flows through every inch of your body and resists damage from lesser energies. Your senses become unimaginably acute. All of this is achievable through training."

"So," Chloe replied, "it's as if you are empowered by your very body."

"Exactly," Goku continued. "Chi is your physical energy. But that's just if you _have_ higher chi. Skilled masters can _manipulate_ their chi, as easy as a painter painting. Horrific injuries can be healed quickly beyond the scope of modern medicine, the dreary and weary can be uplifted as though happiness entered their body cells and made them energetic. Beams of powerful life energy can be shot forth to destroy the hardest obstacles in your path. This is where mine, and the other warriors' powers come from." He concentrated his mental focus, and saw the various streams of living energy as they flowed through his tissues. A small piece he branched off, like a river dividing, and exited his palms, focusing as a ball of glowing white light in between his hands. "This is, essentially, what it looks like." Pete reached out. "Don't touch it, Pete, it'll burn you. Even this small amount is too much for an average man to touch freely."

"You're some kind of superbeing out of Asian mythology, Goku," Pete commented. "Bullets and explosions can't pierce your skin, and you can move at speeds that make the Matrix look slow."

Chloe thought for a moment. "So, your friend Krillin, that guy in the video Tien Shinhan, and that old guy that's been seen around with Lex Luthor, they all trained like you?"

Goku nodded. "Master Roshi was just the first person to train me, and Tien Shinhan trained under the Crane Hermit, but we've been learning ever since. A true martial artist does not consider the journey over once he is powerful. There is always room to grow." He stood up. "I want to get back to class, guys. If you ever want some basic lessons, I'll be happy to teach you how to defend yourself." He thought briefly, as he walked away. Now that he'd told them, what would happen next? How would this impact his ability to prepare?

Chloe stood up and grabbed his shoulder before he could get very far away. "Goku! Wait. Just one last question." He turned to face her. "When King Piccolo made his broadcast, and then he was defeated, was it you that beat him?"

He bowed his head. "Yeah. It was. And I'm preparing to go into battle with his son."

The two of them almost leapt backwards. "Piccolo had a son?"

"Please don't spread the word. If a panic ensues it will cause mass chaos. Piccolo will show up at the next tournament, held in just under three years' time." He grasped her hand and put his other hand on top of it to comfort her. "I promise you, Chloe, and you too Pete, I will win the next tournament, and I will defeat Piccolo. Just wait for me." He waited for the moment to pass before heading back to class.

From the window of the library, a pair of eyes belonging to Lana Lang watched the trio far away in the sports field. She hadn't seen the glow, nor had she heard any of the explanation. What she did see, was Goku gently grab Chloe's hand. And that alone spoke volumes. To her left, a voice inquired, "What's wrong, Lana?"

Lana looked at Whitney. She hastily composed herself. "Oh! Um, nothing. Nothing at all. Let's get to class."


	5. Chapter 5

Fog From the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

A/N: When I do timeskips, I will do my best to make it obvious in the chapter how long a skip it has been. Also, for the sake of this storyline, I'm explaining things DC has never taken the time to.

CHAPTER FIVE – Old Beginnings, New Endings

Jonathan Kent descended the dark staircase into the storm cellar, where he saw a familiar sight. His son, Goku, training mentally with the ship's computer again. Over time, the family had discovered that the ship was not only the conduit for Bardock to communicate with his son, but that the ship itself contained the mind of the Saiyan soldier. As usual, the young warrior finished his training just as soon as the adoptive father arrived. "Goku, if you don't get ready soon, you're going to be late for school." He held out a plate. "After all, today is the last day before summer vacation."

Goku stood up and quickly devoured the contents of the plate. "During the summer, dad, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back to Kami's Lookout so I can finish my training with him. After all, the only reason he let me come back to school is because I promised him that after the school year I would devote myself extra hard to his training." He looked up from the plate, feeling slightly distressed about having to leave them to the farm work. "I'd normally hate to leave you guys during the height of the harvest season."

"Goku," Jonathan replied, concerned, "it isn't about the farm work. We were doing this work before you came along. What I'm worried about is that I don't know for sure if Kami is thinking about your training foremost or if he's thinking of any means necessary." He knew of the training Goku had already received. It seemed to change the young warrior, for the better. One of the first things he noticed was that his adoptive son got calmer and more focused in his daily actions, without losing the lovable essence that was he. However, as serene as the teenager could get—and as powerful as the raging torrent of his might was—he couldn't help but think that all of it served ulterior motives.

"He's not powerful enough to deal with this incarnation of Piccolo himself," Goku reminded, "so he's training me because he knows I'm the most likely candidate. Regardless of how he thinks about me—and I'm sure he cares—this is one enemy that must be defeated." He loved his adoptive father, but the concern—no matter how important—he felt was unnecessary. The greater good, he thought, must always be placed above all. It had been drilled into him by teachers such as Roshi, and his biological father speaking to him from within a pod's computer.

"I'm just saying, Goku. Piccolo nearly killed you, and this one will be stronger than that one."

Goku hugged his adoptive father. "Trust me." He sped out of the cellar at incredible speed, creating a gust of wind behind him. Jonathan shook his head. _That boy will always be the gung-ho type_, he knew. As he turned away to head back upstairs, a hologram of Bardock projected itself from the ship.

"Jonathan Kent," the Saiyan called out, "I may be confined to the computer of a space pod, but even I can see that my son will be fine. Do as he says and trust him, and he will make everything better." Jonathan turned and walked forward. "And I think a lot of his personality has to do with what you taught him."

He wiped his face. "Yeah, you're right." He perked his head up at a certain concern he'd had. "Bardock, one thing I've always wondered. You said your psychic prediction showed my son as a 'Super Saiyan.' What did you mean by that, and why hasn't he unlocked it yet?"

"He won't unlock it until a future battle," the warrior answered. "I can't tell you the details because if you told my son, it probably wouldn't happen."

Jonathan argued back. "I wish you could do something against Piccolo."

"I can't risk damaging Goku's future. The events must unfold as they are. Anyway, thank you for raising my son." His hologram disappeared.

_You Saiyans are something else_, Jonathan mused, as he exited the cellar.

As the warrior slowed to a crawl right behind the familiar line of trees that stood between the field of Smallville High and the woods that surrounded most of the outer thirteen percent of the town, he saw that, unlike previous arrivals, they specifically sat near the tree line and awaited his arrival. He glared at them upon becoming visible to the naked eye. "Nice way to be subtle," he reproached. "I thought we discussed this." He shifted his backpack more comfortably onto his shoulders. Chloe made the best of her attempt to rebut his criticisms while admiring his formidable musculature.

"Come on, Goku," she replied, defending herself. "We were making it look like we were taking in some bird watching before class. I don't think anyone knows. And besides, I doubt anyone cares." She moved to the side as he strode forth to make the morning bell on time. "You can probably come up with some explanation if they knew anyway."

As Goku prepared to enter the building, a man entered his view. The warrior thought nothing of importance about the gentleman, who had a very straightforward appearance. His hair was short and dark brown, his head was very thin and squarish, with the outline of his jaw noticeable. He had a predominant forehead and was quite lean but nothing of him particularly stood out as impressive in one fashion or another. In fact, had he not directly stopped in front of him, Goku would never have thought to pay him much attention at all.

The man presented his hand as an act of friendship. "Hello, I heard you're a student here," he began. "I am going to start teaching ancient history today and I thought I'd get a start on introducing myself to the student body."

Goku smiled and shook the man's hand. "Hi, my name is Goku," he cheerfully replied. "It's always good to meet new faces!" He felt a tiny prick of his index finger, although virtually no pain signaled him not to worry.

"The name is Milton Fine," the man introduced, "and I think you'll fit right in! I'll be seeing you, have a class to get to." He left as quickly as he came, quickly filing into the classroom four doors to the left behind Goku. Nimbly, he dodged past the students at the door and proceeded to set his briefcase down.

Goku looked at his right index finger. _Hmm, I wonder what stuck me_, he mulled. Ultimately he disregarded it. _It isn't even worth thinking about, I can heal it with my chi flow. Right now, I have to get to class!_ He jogged forward until he found his math class. He hated math; yet he found it to be fascinating at the same time. Being able to analyze angles and the like, it occurred to him during grade school that he involved himself with it all the time in battles, but had never thought about it in great detail. So he applied himself to it, even if he wasn't that great at it.

On the other side of the city, a young figure dressed in a business suit sat looking over security tapes on his laptop. The impossibility of the scene playing out before his eyes only served to make his curiosity run wild. What he saw before his eyes, was himself—rather, a perfect impersonation of himself. This being presented identification that positively identified him as Lex Luthor to a security guard, who proceeded to completely vanish from view a quarter of a second after leaving the guard's sight. The aging martial arts master who had taken it upon himself to protect the young corporate leader walked to his side. "What's that?" he inquired.

Lex looked up at him. "I've been working with the defense department to develop new guidance systems for their missiles," he explained. "It requires me to have a special security clearance and to show identification whenever entering the base, because I occasionally have to be in the same room as nuclear material." He pressed a button, and the video loop began again. "I got a call from the secretary's office three hours ago that at five a.m., someone used my id to gain access to the base, then mysteriously vanished from sight. Also, access codes to three warhead storage locations and firing stage codes—information that maybe two people who aren't the president know—were downloaded from unpublished servers after numerous layers of uncrackable firewalls were penetrated from a single point in the base."

Roshi cringed at the thought of nuclear material falling into evil hands. "So, who do you think it was?" he nervously asked.

Lex shook his head. "Someone who has a lot of secrets to hide."

Just then, a familiar face barged through the door. "Luthor, you damn well better have a really good explanation for this situation. I've got the Joint Chiefs of Staff breathing fire down my neck!" The gray-haired man had wrinkles on his face, and countless decorations on his uniform. He slammed his hands down on the desk. "I better hear some magical words from you, or else you're ass is going to be in the fire too!"

"General Lane," Lex defended, "I have security footage that shows I was in bed at five in the morning. Plus, I have security detail walk by my office every fifteen minutes. It would've been a bit difficult for me to escape to pull off such an event."

Samuel Lane seemed to take the information quite well, all things considered. "I guess so, but that still doesn't explain our mystery man here. Wait, I'm getting a call." He answered his cell phone. "This is General Sam Lane." He clenched his teeth. "What?...! I'm staring the asshole in the face as we speak! Yes...Yes sir. I will sir. Thank you." Closing his phone, he addressed the businessman again. "Lex, apparently, eight seconds ago, 'you' walked into a military storage bunker then magically disappeared right before a guard's eyes."

Lex felt his stomach get queasy. "Let me guess, some nukes were stolen."

"Three two-stage hydrogen bombs, to be exact," Lane corrected. "Enough megatons to change the world order." Suddenly his phone rang again. "God dammit, my luck just doesn't improve. Hello?" His angry expression melted away into fear. "My...my daughter's car hasn't shown up to the station yet? Where the hell is she? Track her down, dammit!" He turned to Lex. "I'll be back later. Right now, I gotta find my daughter."

His daughter, Lois, had been trying to evade her father's escort in order to duck out of dealing with military affairs, when her car found itself kidnapped by an invisible force. The first sign had been when her radio refused to play a sound, but the definitive proof was the steering wheel veering right suddenly down a side road out of nowhere. Terror had gripped her when she saw the bright light come out of a round pod floating in the sky. A scream of terror resounded within her vehicle as she felt her head strike the steering wheel and she fell out of consciousness.

Engines roared and died out as two military Humvees stopped some eighteen yards behind the sports sedan buried in the mud. Two military police in full camouflage exited the trucks and approached as the car door swung open. "Ma'am?" a young officer inquired. "Are you hurt?" Lois Lane took a few steps out of the car; she looked completely unscathed despite looking around rather frantically. They approached her slowly. "You should really have stayed on course to the station. Your father is in Smallville and wants to know where you're at."

"Seventy miles to the southeast," she thought out loud. "I've found him."

The two officers looked confused. "Are you sure you're ok, Miss Lane? I've never heard that language before." One offered to guide her back to the Humvee, and she shoved him aside. "Leave me, I have important business to attend to," she commanded them. With the air seemingly bending around her body, a force that couldn't be seen propelled her off the ground and away from the two officers at an incredible rate of speed. The countryside tore by, looking like a blur. She slowed and descended as she saw her target in sight.

Goku set down his backpack. "Who are you? I know that energy signature isn't human," he said, gathering a battle stance. This woman approaching him had a ki that felt...Saiyan. It was as if he'd known her a long time, yet that was impossible.

"It's me," Lois spoke. "Don't worry, I'm only borrowing this form temporarily, Kakarot."

Goku recognized the accent, and the Saiyan language. "Bardock? How did you take someone's body? I thought you were trapped in the pod."

"When you have access to millions of years of Tuffle technology, you learn how to do certain things you couldn't as an organic being," he answered. "Anyway, I didn't take this young woman's body for looks. I've detected something horrible about to happen as I've spied through these humans' technology." He guided Goku along. "Let's not stand in one spot."

"What's horrible about to happen?" He picked up his backpack.

"Milton Fine, that professor that shook your hand," Bardock explained, "was an old enemy of ours. Brainiac: the Brain Interactive Construct. For many years, we fought another warlike race; the Kryptonians. These bastards were impossibly strong and fast, and were incredibly hard to fight against. The leader of their military force was a destructive being known as Zod. We ultimately discovered the way to defeat them."

Goku wiped his face. This was a lot to absorb at once. "So, what happened?"

"With the brunt of their force driven back, they retreated, like cowards leaving Zod to be punished by the Saiyan justice system for provoking a war. We poisoned his body so he would die, and imprisoned him in the darkness beyond the universe known as the Dead Zone."

"If he's trapped beyond this universe, how is he going to come back?"

Bardock looked at him. "Brainiac has stolen nuclear weapons and is going to use their energy to open a portal to the Dead Zone for a brief second, just long enough for the energy embodiment of Zod to escape into a host body. Remember, we killed his body, so Brainiac is going to need a host. Unfortunately, thanks to your blood, that's going to be easy."

Goku almost snapped backwards. "You mean, he's going to be a clone of me?..!"

"Which will correct two of the main weaknesses we exploited to defeat the Kryptonians," Bardock solemnly replied. "One, we Saiyans are immune to the radiation that kills them—the green meteor rock—and our ki, being living energy and is almost magical in nature, can punch right through their protective aura of electromagnetic energy, which is 'dead' in comparison. As a Saiyan, he won't be as _strong _as he was, but he will be far more durable. And if I know Brainiac, he won't stop until Zod has gotten his revenge." He produced a crystal knife. "I can't use this body to help you fight, because I can't utilize all of my power without killing this human. But plunge this into Zod's body, and you will eliminate the threat." He touched Goku's temple, causing the young Saiyan warrior to gain a great deal of knowledge about Fine's location. "I must now return to my pod. I hope you success, my son."

"Goodbye, father," Goku replied, as Lois's body returned to unconsciousness. He set the young girl on the ground, and took off running. "Nimbus!" he cried, leaping into the sky and onto the familiar yellow cloud. He'd hoped that Piccolo would be the extent of his major problems. Deep down, it occurred to him that his battles might never be over, but a peaceful life, he believed, should be his reward for his action.

Halfway across the globe saw a small island with not one, but two major changes. The typical scenery of the uninhabited tropical locale included a jungle that stood below a mountain. It also included a sandy beach. However, nowhere before did a large metallic structure that was ebony in color and had three sedan-sized containers connected via poles to a center vertex high above the island, creating a triangular pyramid over the island. A craft, black as coal with the smoothest of flat sides making a very sleek design, floated on a separate mass of land near the island with the device set up. The being known as Milton Fine stood near a capsule which contained in it a motionless body looking exactly like Goku. It possessed no genetic difference from the being whose blood was taken to create it. Every line of every muscle, from the mighty arms to the sculpted abs, had the exact same appearance. The only difference would be the spirit.

As Goku zoomed towards the island at supersonic speeds, he saw the huge structure which stood taller than the mountain in the land's middle. As the cloud moved him along, he saw Fine, the spaceship, and the body in a container. He also saw Fine look his way, and his senses told him to leap. As he did, and the cloud moved below to accommodate the space between, an invisible wave of heat exploded less than a foot from where he'd been. Diving downwards for an attack, he flipped off of his standing position on the cloud and flew at incredible speed towards Fine and the body.

Fine assumed a battle stance and clenched his fists. "You know, Goku," he arrogantly fired off, "you Saiyans always were a primitive lot. I saw how your people defeated Zod's troops, and rest assured, that problem is corrected." He looked behind him. "After all, since one of the advantages you had was your 'chi' being able to punch through our protective auras, I decided to make a new body for my master. One that has the same chi as you. One that, while being weaker and slower than he was under a yellow sun, will be able to defeat you and lead this world to a higher glory than it deserves." He raised a fist. "And you will be the first victim; the man whose blood created a new Krypton. A better Krypton." He sneered. "And it won't be long, before I crack the secret of your DNA, and create the perfect weapon: a Saiyan's chi with Kryptonian might and speed." He lifted his eyebrows for effect. "Nothing will stand in his way. It's only a matter of time." He moved in front of Goku, speeding so fast as to be but a blur. "Goodbye, Goku."

Goku didn't blink, for he had less than a tenth of a second to get his body to attempt to dodge a right hook. He saw the fist zoom past him at unimaginable velocity. Even with his expert martial arts skill, he caught the tail end of it and it almost knocked him for a loop. As his cheek bled from a cut, he moved his body into a proper position to avoid a rising knee. He had never taken such a hard punch, and it didn't really even hit him. He could only imagine what Piccolo might be capable of.

"Even a skilled Saiyan warrior is no match for Kryptonian super speed!" Fine's bragging came from one direction as his body appeared on Goku's other side, going for an attack. Goku realized he couldn't dodge, so he braced his body to take as little an impact as possible. _Damn! His attack is extremely unskilled, but he's moving so fast it doesn't matter!_ Goku analyzed. _Almost no skill needs to go into it; the only way I'm going to win is to take advantage of his lack of skill._

Goku kept defending as he memorized the onslaught, move for move. Once he was absolutely certain he knew everything Fine would do, he channeled a lot of chi into his arms. "You can't win, Goku!" Fine shouted once more. He drove his knee into the young Saiyan's chest, driving most of the wind out of him. He pretended to be weakened severely by the Kryptonian machine's assault, using the impact to twist his body to his right. Sure to his memory, Fine came to a stop in the exact place Goku anticipated. The warrior struck three blows in rapid succession.

The first was an elbow to the sternum. Fine recoiled in agony as the chi allowed the full force of the blow to pass straight through his invulnerability aura unaffected. Goku then struck the chest again with his left fist; this time, he felt something crack. His final attack consisted of a straight punch, which took the Kryptonian machine's head clean off. "Your lack of talent gave me the edge I needed, Fine," Goku admonished. "Underestimate a Saiyan, and that's what happens." He turned his attention to the body in the container. Fine's silvery nanites were already starting to repair his decapitated body as the Saiyan yanked the lid off the crystal container and drew his knife, plunging it with a vicious shove straight into the clone of his body's heart.

Two things happened immediately; a pulse left the knife and instantly vaporized the clone body. The second event, was a huge shockwave that occurred as the three nuclear devices inside their components of the large island machine went off. The heat, light, blast, and radiation were all contained by the alien device. The shockwave, however, told Goku something was not right. His thoughts were confirmed when a orange glow shot forth from the tip of the machine and created a dark hole in the afternoon sky. It appeared in an instant and vanished from existence the moment a thin beam of red light shot from it and traveled far into the distance.

Fine stood up, his body repaired. "Saiyan, you've fallen right into the trap," he scolded the warrior. He looked to the black ship. "Goku, this isn't some science fiction novel. Did you really think I'd explain my entire plan to you, if I, a computer, thought you had the slightest chance of affecting the outcome? I only had to fool you into springing the trap."

Goku collared the machine. "Where's the real body?...! Tell me right now, or you're losing another head!"

"You'll never defeat him. I gave him all your thoughts and memories. He knows everything you know."

Goku punched a hole in his gut, Fine rapidly healing with nanites. "Where!"

Fine grinned evilly. "Smallville. Right under your primitive nose." He laughed. "You can't even kill me. That knife'll never work on Zod; he won't give you a chance."

"You're right," Goku agreed. He returned Fine's wicked smile, and by the time he figured it out, it was too late. Fine screamed for dear life as the warrior plunged the crystal knife into the black ship behind him.

"NO! Aaaaagghhh!" Fine's body began to convulse as red electrical bolts shot between the ship and the knife. In the space of a quarter minute, Goku bounded onto his cloud and took off, and both islands disappeared in a blinding explosion. The ship self-destructed under the energy of the knife, taking Fine with it.

_Goddammit_, Goku thought. Someone's going to get hurt. _I just won't make it in time; I just feel it._ He sped Nimbus as fast as it would go. The whole time he prayed it wasn't his parents.

In Smallville, a truck stopped to see a pillar of smoke coming from a cornfield along the side of the road. Lana stepped out, Whitney following shortly after. She approached cautiously, dropping her guard at the sight of the friendly face. "Goku! Are you ok? What happened to cause that smoke?"

"Oh, nothing short of a rebirth," the familiar voice beckoned. He wore a black and gray bodysuit that covered him from neck to toes and had a strange Z like symbol on the chest made out of lines and a dot in the middle.

"Hey, punk-hair!" Whitney cried. "What's with the superhero suit and the hieroglyphs?"

"Whitney," Lana scolded. "Behave." She focused on Goku, but had the strangest feeling something was amiss. "Is something wrong?" She came closer.

"Nothing's wrong," Zod replied. His lip curled upwards into a grin. "Not anymore. I'd say everything is better than ever."


	6. Chapter 6

Fog From the Mirror  
by Moonraker One

CHAPTER SIX – The Darkest of Reflections

Lana cautiously approached whom she thought was Goku. "You seem, a bit different," she noticed. She looked at the outfit. "And what...dear God...is THAT? I don't think a full body suit is something you should parade around town in." She chuckled a bit at the ridiculousness of his skin-tight suit, even if it did accentuate his considerable muscle tone. "Do you need a ride back to town?"

His grin persisted. "I don't require anything from primitives," Zod arrogantly denied. "Especially vulgar human scum." To this statement, Lana furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and Whitney stepped forward, popping his knuckles.

"That's no way to treat a lady," the young man shot out. "In fact, I may just have to teach you a lesson, punk-head."

Zod regarded him with a laugh. "You? What do you propose your skill can do against me?"

Whitney really got angry with that one. "I'm going to seriously rearrange that face of yours!"

Lana attempted to jump in between the two of them. "Hey! There's no need to out-macho each other! This is really childish...!" However, her screams were cut off by Zod merely touching her on the shoulder and shoving her aside. This seriously angered the young jock.

"Goku, you just seriously earned yourself an ass-kicking," he yelled, charging forward on his good foot. Putting his might behind a straight right handed punch, he leaned into the attack as he moved forward. Unfortunately, Zod caught the blow in his left hand, making Whitney feel like he just struck a wall. He began bending the caught fist backward, putting incredible amounts of pressure on the wrist, being careful not to break bones. The general was, after all, a master of torture, and bones about to snap are better for effect. In the meantime, he tightly grasped the young man's neck in his right hand, hosting him off the ground.

"You are mistaken, young primitive," Zod corrected, "my name is Zod. I just happen to look like this Saiyan scum. Beggars can't be choosers, after all." With a single thrust, he launched Whitney into the truck, cracking the windshield in several places as the young man's upper back struck the glass near the top. The jock yelled in pain as he slid off the vehicle's hood. Turning his attention briefly away from the football player, he regarded Lana Lang. A rather unique idea occurred to him. _Hmm, perhaps she can be the new host for my dear Faora!_ He walked over and hoisted the resisting young human onto his shoulders. "You, though," he said to her, can be of some assistance to me." With those words he took off into the air.

Goku grimaced as he directed Nimbus in a new direction. "Dammit," he yelled. _That bastard is moving! And he's got a familiar chi with him...Lana!_ He steeled his nerves. This battle obviously would involve the innocent. He hated when battles involved bystanders.

"Goddammit! You put me down, Goku!" Lana screeched. "I don't know where you're taking me, or how the hell you're flying, or why the hell you had to hurt Whitney, but this is crazy!" She flailed fists and feet against his chest and back, each strike feeling as though she hit iron.

"You humans seriously are a pain to deal with," Zod reminded her, "and by the way, I told your friend back there; my name is Zod. Your friend Goku, is nothing more than a mere hindrance." He flew over the countryside of Smallville, Kansas, searching for the beacon that Fine had left behind. He cursed his luck at Goku being able to destroy the Brain Interactive Construct, but the most important two items were left behind. Using his newfound sensing abilities—which he knew thanks to the memories of the host whose body was cloned for his sake—he only had to search a few moments before the tell-tale pulse of the container was found.

Zod landed gracefully, then tossed Lana aside as he punched into the ground, pulling up a small box. With a touch, the top slid off. Inside were written instructions, a body suit, and a small orb next to an injection gun. The orb was silvery, and the injection gun had a glowing liquid inside of it. "General Zod," the instructions read, "use the orb to free Faora. The large machine I created was not necessary to free you, I simply used it as a distraction. The orb has enough power to open the Dead Zone one time. I managed to create the exogenes, which will grant Kryptonian abilities to whomever injected with it. Unfortunately, you cannot gain your original abilities. Saiyan cells are relatively unstable when mixed with the exogenes. Still, your Faora will have the same abilities she should."

Lana turned to run, only to find Zod facing her. "You will be the ressurection, primitive. You should feel proud. This is a rare opportunity." He grabbed her right hand, and forced the orb into her palm. Slits opened in it and light came out. Lana tried to control her hand but could not release the orb as a brilliant flash of red light shot into the sky. She let out a loud screech as she fell unconscious. Zod grinned as he clicked the dial on the injection gun three times. "Welcome to our new home, my dear," he whispered gently into Lana's ear as he injected most of the vial into her neck. Up in the sky, a loud roar echoed throughout the area as a portal no larger than a basketball opened up for a brief instant. A reddish outline shot out of the portal as it shut, colliding like a lightning bolt with Lana's incapacitated body.

Lana stood up, examining the surroundings with curious eyes. Like a child learning use of her digits, she examined her hands, feeling tactile sensation for the first time in ages. She looked around her, drawing her attention upon the figure near her. Her mood staled quickly. "You're...Saiyan trash!" She regarded Zod's outfit. "How dare you curse the mark of lord Zod by touching it to your filthy non-Kryptonian body?...!" He grinned as she lashed her words at him.

"It is a turn of misfortune that this was the body I had to accept," he countered, "but be assured, commander Faora, it is I."

_Z...Zod!...? Oh, curse my assumptions!_ She gasped, covering her mouth, then hastily knelt before him. "G...General!" she squeaked. "Forgive me. I assumed you were Saiyan." She swallowed hard, fearing punishment.

"Calm yourself, commander," he ordered, "I will not take punitive action against your transgression." He paced around. "This Saiyan body may be unclean, alien garbage. It may lack the degree of strength and speed we possess under a yellow sun, but it has two major advantages."

"Pardon the intrusion, sir, but are these advantages the cause for our humiliating defeat at the hands of the Saiyan monkeys?" She stood up, approaching him.

He turned to look at her. "Yes," he answered, disappointed. "Their energies are higher in potency than ours, which enable them to attack through our invulnerability unaffected. Also, they do not require a yellow sun for their powers nor are they affected by Kryptonite or any radiation, for that matter."

She thought about a pressing matter. "General, where is the Saiyan you are modeled after?"

Zod cursed his luck. "Heading this way to attack us." He looked at her, approvingly. "I brought you back so you could assist me in combat. With me alone, our powers are equal and he would fight me to a standstill. You, as I have restored your powers with the Brain Interactive Construct's formula, should be sufficient to tip the scales." He shook his head. "I had hoped that the machine could have worked out another formula to grant me both species' abilities, but alas, the Saiyan destroyed it." Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Wait, within the thoughts of the Saiyan, there is something that can help me! The magical power of the Dragon Balls."

Faora beamed. "General! I will go out and gather these, if you so order!"

"No," Zod argued, "we must take out the Saiyan first. We can find them at our leisure once we have destroyed our opposition." He began hovering above the ground slightly, turning once to Faora. "Follow me. I can sense where he's going to land."

Goku, flying across the planet on nimbus, quickly surmised the trajectory of not one, but two signatures. He cursed himself that he could allow a friend of his to fall under the spell of Zod, but at the very least he would stop the maniacal villain. _No use in continuing this_, he uttered, leaping off of the cloud and slowly descending to the ground. _They've already found me._ His two foes showed up in less than five minutes. Through Goku's memories, Zod had mastered all of flight and manipulation very quickly. Goku looked around. _At least there aren't any large populations nearby_. The Kansas countryside had large areas of farmland where not many people lived. Since he had to fight, he wouldn't endanger very many. He raised an eyebrow. "Lana, what are you doing with him?"

Faora sneered, clenching her fist in front of her for effect. "Your human acquaintance has served my need for a vessel. And with my Kryptonian abilities restored, it's as if I never was cast into the Dead Zone!"

Zod popped his knuckles. "I'm giving you a single opportunity, Saiyan," he beckoned. "I wish not to destroy a potential ally. Kneel before Zod and swear your allegiance to me, and I shall allow the ones you care about most to live. Do not oppose us," he looked to Faora, "because I have your body, and by extension, your memories. I know how to fight like you, and all of your techniques. And Faora here has greater physical strength and durability than you do. You cannot win."

Goku took up a battle stance. "Oh, you'd be amazed as to what I can and cannot do." He silently cursed. It pained him that Lana got caught up in this mess, but thinking merely of the fight, he had little chance of prevailing. From fighting briefly with Fine, he caught a glimpse of what Kryptonian abilities were like. Despite his advantage of being able to strike through their invulnerability, Zod having the same powers as he more than made up. Still, he knew they would unleash terror upon the world if he did not stop them.

The two rather predictably rushed him. He had prepared for their onslaught as he crouched lower to the ground and aimed for a direct strike to Zod's abdomen and attempted to use the momentum to hit Faora at least once. The girl was saved by her super speed, taking only the slightest scrape of the blow; still, it managed to cut her a bit on the abdomen. It healed rapidly. Zod, on the other hand, used some of Goku's own fighting skill against him with a perfect parry. Goku raised his left hand to push aside a straight fist from the General and attempted to elbow Faora in the forehead as she ducked low to strike at her opponent's chest. His fist struck its mark on her face, but only partially as her super-powered punch knocked most of the wind out of him. If he hadn't thickened his chi around his torso, it would have fractured ribs. Zod used this opportunity to aim directly for the kill, throwing a flattened hand like a spear straight for the throat of his enemy. Goku put his arms in a X shape to catch the wrist, then utilized proximity to knee the General in the gut with chi empowering the hit. It only had moderate effect.

"You're lasting longer than I expected," Zod remarked, "but you still aren't going to win." Faora struggled to regain her balance as Goku's chi-laden elbow still had her a tad loopy. Goku took full advantage, going for a upper chest strike on the General. Zod blocked, and nailed his foe twice in the gut before realizing it was a fake, and got a very strong elbow to the chest as he moved in. As Goku went for a left-handed punch straight at Zod's face, the General side-stepped and elbowed the young man right in the side of his head. He then struck him with the same elbow in the side, before being kneed in the face on the way back up. They then both managed to hit each other in the face with punches at the same time.

Faora, having regained her sense of balance, appeared behind the young Saiyan warrior the moment before he would have unleashed a powerful attack on Zod. She grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. "See, I warned you," Zod taunted, charging his fists with chi and striking his foe hard several times. A flurry of punches bloodied Goku's face. He felt his power waning as he got another storm of hits to the chest and abdomen. He spat some of his own blood at Zod. It got the General angry enough to draw back for a kill shot.

_Damn it! I have just one last chance! Kami taught me how to raise my power in an instant, but I've never done it before!_ He waited for the right moment. Faora tightened her grip as her master drew in for the final blow. Goku steeled his resolve. _Now or never!_ He swung his head back and knocked her out, and sending her flying several feet behind him.

"Yahhhh!" He screeched, releasing the flow of chi all at once. For a brief instant, his energy surged to levels it hadn't before, levels he could hardly have dreamed of. As soon as it appeared, it quickly began dropping to normal, but it gave him enough time to slam one devastating punch to the chest of Zod, right above where the heart was.

The General didn't have time to panic, didn't have time to react as he felt a death blow being hit. His body got launched at least a dozen or more yards from the point of impact. Goku felt his tissues burning as the damage from such a sudden increase was taking its toll. He fell face first, unconsciousness swallowing him.

"Goku, are you going to get up yet?" a familiar voice cried out. "You've been out for an hour. Get up! I know you're alive, get up!" He slowly came to, sitting up and wiping the blurriness from his eyes.

Goku looked around. "Kami? Mister Popo? How did I get here?"

The god of Earth folded his arms. "I brought you here after you won. That girl, I removed the spirit from her body. She'll be fine. That enemy who had a body like yours, you managed to deliver a fatal blow, and I incinerated the body. Almost lost you there, that stunt you pulled was very risky and could have killed you too."

Goku scratched his head. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Well," Kami replied, "As tough as that 'Zod' character was, having the same powers as you, Piccolo is stronger yet, by far, and this battle should tell you, you aren't ready."

"I'm ready to begin serious training, now," he answered.

"Other than brief visits here and there," Kami told him, "you won't be seeing too much of your family back home in Kansas. You must devote yourself completely to defeating Piccolo!"

Goku clenched his fists. "Let's begin right away!" He grabbed his stomach. "But first, let's eat!" Kami nearly fell over as the Saiyan rushed past him.

_Such a strong-willed and devoted, yet carefree lad_, Kami thought, shaking his head.


	7. Chapter 7

Fog From the Mirror  
By Moonraker One

A/N: This chapter is short because it is a brief interlude between the previous arc and a major arc.

CHAPTER SEVEN – Periods of Time

Lana awoke. The field she lay in smoldered in a six foot circle where something had been burned. All that remained in the circle were ashes. _What happened here? And my head, why does it hurt?_ Her thoughts got interrupted rather abruptly. All at once, every sound for miles sounded amplified more than a million times. She cupped her hands around her ears, only to find that it had no discernable effect. She tumbled over to her left from the noise, and found herself clawing the ground to distract her. A few moments passed before she managed to force herself to overcome the loudness in the air. Crawling a few steps before attempting to stand back up, she came across a metal container. It was opened, and seemed to be made of a strange metal she'd never seen before. The lid lay an inch from the box itself. On the ground, were an injection gun with an empty chamber, and a written letter of instruction. She read the letter silently to herself: "General Zod, use the orb to free Faora. The large machine I created was not necessary to free you, I simply used it as a distraction. The orb has enough power to open the Dead Zone one time. I managed to create the exogenes, which will grant Kryptonian abilities to whomever injected with it. Unfortunately, you cannot gain your original abilities. Saiyan cells are relatively unstable when mixed with the exogenes. Still, your Faora will have the same abilities she should."

Curious, she cocked her head to the right and squinted while she read. _Who's General Zod? Wait, I remember Goku, or someone that looked like him, said HE was Zod, but what was that about?_ Her thoughts took a turn towards the truth. _Wait, was Goku possessed? Was that a clone of him? Does this injector have something to do with everything being so loud?_ She folded the note and put it in her pocket. This would require her to do more research. She had to make sure that Whitney was ok. If it was Goku or not, he'd picked the football player up by his neck and thrown him hard. Looking around gave her the general idea of where she was, as she knew the Smallville area somewhat well. The tree near the dirt road was a familiar sight, after all, so she ran as fast as she could; she didn't know how long it would take her to find someone, where she was at.

Suddenly, the world turned into a blur with every color bleeding into one another as she at once moved across several hundred yards even though she'd only had the intent to move at her normal running pace. Unable to control her movement at supersonic speeds, She tripped over her feet and bounced several times, ultimately smashing through a large tree and coming to a stop a few feet past the wreckage. She stood up hastily. Her clothes dirtied and torn in places, she noticed several areas of dirt where the jagged parts of wood scraped her, but no damage could be seen. _Wait! _She recalled. _That guy injected me with this stuff, and then some spirit entered me! That must be what caused this!_ She looked around. _I hope this won't cause a problem_. She walked a bit. Finally, she got her courage up to try the super speed again. At first, she found herself nearly colliding with every object in her path. After about thirty seconds, her senses adjusted to seeing at tremendous speeds, and found herself navigating large areas of Kansas countryside in moments.

After about five minutes of tracing pathways, she came across the area where Whitney's truck was. Apparently, the damage had not been enough to prevent him from taking himself to the hospital. There were still so many questions she had. _What are "Kryptonians" and "Saiyans?" Is Goku one of them?_ She shook her head; these thoughts would have to be answered later; she didn't know where to go next. It was only after that bit of thinking that her thought process gave her an idea. _Wait_, she recognized, _if Goku is either of these things, these alien races, then there'd be something at the Kent farm! _She looked around quickly for a landmark to judge her position by. Then a trail of blur stretched for more than a mile for a brief second.

Martha and Jonathan Kent were enjoying a few brief moments of peace before having to move on to important tasks. This got prematurely interrupted due to a sudden gust of wind, and the appearance of Lana at the same time. The calm mother spoke first, preempting her husband. "Lana, what's going on? First Whitney drives by and he's banged up and mad as can be, accusing Goku of beating him up and kidnapping you by flying away," Lana tried politely to cut her off.

"Mrs. Kent," she began, "I really don't know everything that happened, but I think that the Goku that flew away with me wasn't Goku. He was spouting some nonsense about being Zod." She produced a note. "And I got injected with some stuff and then something entered my body, that's the last I know." She handed the written instructions to the Kents. "Then I wake up and have these strange powers. What are these 'Kryptonians' and 'Saiyans' this note speaks of? Is Goku an alien?" Her having figured it out caused the otherwise careful parents to look at each other.

"Lana," Jonathan entered, nervously, "I can tell you the truth, but you have to be extra careful. This isn't a secret we want getting out."

Lana nodded, acceptingly. "I've got strange powers; I think I can keep _your_ secret a secret."

"During the meteor shower, we found a round pod with Goku in it," Martha explained. "The pod had kind of a spirit controlling it, and we found out that it was, in fact, a means of communication between Bardock, who is Goku's father, and us." She looked over at a bowl of potatoes on the floor. "I remember when we first brought him in and he started eating out of that because he was so hungry. Then we took him down to the cellar and the ship gave us a message." She looked at Lana. "Maybe he can give you the answers you want."

And so, they each went down to the storm cellar. Lana attempted to start communication. "I heard you might…"

A hologram of Bardock appeared. "I detect the energy pattern of a Kryptonian coming from a human. May I ask what's going on?" he pre-empted.

Lana laughed nervously; she wasn't used to people being so direct. "I, uh, this happened because of someone named Zod…"

Again, Bardock interrupted. This time, his expression soured. "General Zod," he angrily huffed. "He created a clone of my son's body to overcome his weaknesses. If you've got Kryptonian powers, it must be because of exogenes."

"Exo-what?" Lana shook her head.

"We Saiyans were at war with the Kryptonians for over four centuries. They were stronger and faster, but had two main weaknesses that allowed us to win," he explained. "They then took to experimenting on themselves using nanites called 'Exo-Genes,' which duplicate the powers of one of them in other species. Our DNA, however, was incompatible, and we thought they scrapped the project. Obviously if you have this energy pattern, we were wrong."

Lana pondered the implications of what he explained, but had a bigger concern. "So, your son, Goku, is a Saiyan? Why did you send him to Earth?"

"I sent him to Earth because of his destiny," Bardock admitted. "I foresaw that he would save countless lives with his heroism. Images in my mind showed me that this planet would cultivate his power and allow him to fulfill his destiny." His image paced back and forth. "If you are alive, and in command of your body once again, it means he has triumphed over Zod."

She shook her head, mildly confused. "Where is he right now?" She wanted to speak to Goku himself, find out exactly what his story was. She believed the hologram; certainly, she figured it wise to, but it would comfort her to hear it from her friend.

Jonathan entered. "He's training high above the Earth…for Piccolo."

Lana almost jumped. "Piccolo!" She barely righted herself at the last moment. "That…that green monster that nearly took over the world?" She had heard the bad news on the television broadcast years ago when King Piccolo had made his famous attempt to overthrow humanity. She had no idea Goku had been the one to take him on, but training to face him again? That unnerved her.

"No," Martha corrected. "His son. Piccolo is dead." She whispered, "Not that it is any consolation." Her concern for her son's well-being echoed in Jonathan's approaching to comfort her with a helpful hug. "I know he's just so powerful, our son, but he shouldn't have to face these things!"

"My son would probably have preferred not to have to deal with danger," Bardock replied, "but we don't get to choose our destiny most of the time."

Jonathan turned to Lana. "I know you got these powers because of Zod, but if you have them, it means you're going to have to be extra careful. Goku exercises a great deal of control so that people don't have the opportunity to make use of him." He wiped his eyes. "And your abilities, they seem to be harder to control than my son's." He really didn't know what to make of all this. His main issue of stress had always been the knowledge of Goku's secret. If there was a girl who knew-as well as had secrets of her own-it only meant that trouble abounded. How much he could trust Lana, he didn't know.

She noticed the concern written on the faces of the Kents. As she brought upon them unnecessary anxiety, she felt it her duty to alleviate some of it. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I swear I will never divulge Goku's secret to anyone." She tried to look as genuine as possible, slightly unnerved by not knowing how real she appeared.

"That makes us feel better," Martha responded. "You have no idea how frustrating it can be to wonder if it's going to get out."

"Well, you can trust me." She smiled her best as she hugged them.

High above the Earth, on Kami's lookout, Goku went back to his meditation. "So, Goku," Kami stated, "it looks as though both Lana and your parents will be fine. She still has the powers that Zod gave to her, but at least she isn't corrupted by them. Now, you must push them out of your mind for the time being and focus on Piccolo!"

Goku smiled. "I will!" He cleared his thoughts, and got down to the business of training as hard as he had ever done. And as his body hurt and healed, as his power lowered then got stronger by bounds, three long years passed as he trained above the planet. His friends and family would see him again, and would scarcely be able to imagine what they would witness with their own eyes. Also, a powerful evil from the past returned in a different form, and would meet him head on, on a stage where the entire planet would be watching.


End file.
